


A journey to Yomi

by Yamayuandadu



Category: Touhou Project
Genre: Action/Adventure, Established Relationship, F/F, Gen, Historical References, Literary References & Allusions, Mythology References
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-09
Updated: 2019-12-31
Packaged: 2020-06-25 11:18:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19744645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yamayuandadu/pseuds/Yamayuandadu
Summary: Credible sources and even more credible gossips about a recent incident appear to make one thing clear: a cure to the hourai curse does, in fact, exist. Sure, the only person allegedly capable of undoing it supposedly lives in hell, in a lawless part of it at that, but it is known that descent into the underworld is a standard mythical narrative and thus cannot be particularly difficult. At least that's what Keine would like to believe, for Mokou's sake. Opinions of guides and legal consultants may vary. The difficulty assesment doesn't take Lunarian interference into account, either. And the internal politics of hell. And a whole host of other potential issues.





	1. Prologue

It is said that in the midst of any historical event of great (or perhaps just moderate. Greatness can be subjective and vary depending on sources used for reference purposes) importance there was a hakutaku to record it in collective human memory. That's how history was made. Or, alternatively, that's how it was ensured historical records will be favorable for the right people, if one doubts the neutrality of supernatural chroniclers.  
  
Such claims are impossible to verify, as human imagination granted the elusive entities ability to erase their own involvement in any affairs, or even the memory of the affairs as a whole, thus leaving a plenty of room for wild speculation for these in the know. By some miracle the number of these in the know remained too low for any substantial number of conspiracy theorists to investigate this untapped market.  
  
As a result, the questionable privilege of being accused of manipulating any and all historical events was usually granted to particularly disliked neighbors, employees of various government organizations, or ethnic and religious minorities instead. While an overlap between these demographics and hakutaku undeniably had to occur at one point or another over the long course of human history, thanks to their mythical nature it did not lead to any potentially dangerous situations. Or at the very least none were recorded. It is known that what was not recorded in some form or another is not historical.  
  
Keine Kamishirasawa was, without a doubt, a hakutaku – or at least enough of a hakutaku to count as such when compared with someone who undeniably did not belong to this species. Gradual decline in human faith in the supernatural, coupled with evolving views on historiography, meant that it's been a long while since the last time when a purely hakutaku individual had existed. The exact time between hypothesized departure of the last hakutaku proper with the questionable blessing of diluted youkai nature being bestowed upon Keine was shrouded in mystery for the time being.  
  
The habit of erasing entirety of own history when death approached shared by most of the past hakutaku meant rigorous research was hard to conduct and there were no faultless estimates yet. This was a frustrating hindrance for Keine's monograph on the matter.  
  
What has been currently unfolding in front of her eyes was, also without a doubt, a historical event. Additionally, she very much wished she could erase the memory of her presence here from the minds of everyone involved, though perhaps not for the same reasons why the presence of her ilk was concealed from history in the past. Tragically, while all the other parts of the puzzle seemingly were there, whether the event was significant in any shape or form was, at best, dubious. Even if one would assume that from many points of view greatness might only seem moderately good. Or passably lukewarm.  
  
A few days prior, Keine received an invitation from a servant of her on and off collaborator in research, Hieda no Akyuu. Due to complex personal obligations, it was the kind of invitation which wasn't possible to turn down, even if delivered on short notice. Not even other personal obligations could change this. Akyuu was the ninth person to bear to the title of Child of Miare, and the first of them to show more than a passing interest in the changes in the publishing industry and interests of the general public.  
  
While the older reincarnations of Hieda no Are merely wanted to fulfill their purpose, the current one had ambitions much bigger than her diminutive, anemic form would suggest. She didn't want to just write things down, what she wanted was to explicitly be recognized as a writer by her own merit, rather than just due to the inherited extraordinary memory she possessed.  
  
“Back in the day, when youkai posed an existential threat to the human community of the region, just reading how to ward them off was enough. However, the current more stable situation created the need for different sort of historical literature," she argued in her letter. “The high sales of tabloids, as well as the everlasting popularity of scandalous outside world pamphlets available at the local book renting service indicate that what the people of Gensokyo want are thrills, preferably derived from relatively recent events, at that. And both of us know far too well that nothing generates quite as many thrills as a well-publicized incident.”  
  
Using her tremendous influence as one of the richest people in the village and one of the pillars of Gensokyo's social order, Akyuu managed to gather all participants of the incident – both the three usual suspects and the newcomer to such tribulations.   
  
In her words, “Miss Inaba's eagerness to partake, displayed right after she learned there's a monetary reward, shows there's a long and fruitful career awaiting her in the field of incident resolving.” Naturally, the very same influence also guaranteed Keine's presence in the role of a recorder, even though she had no real business in the village on a Saturday.  
  
Despite Akyuu's earlier hopes, as far as Keine could tell after once again looking at her notes, the material gathered during the initial hours of the symposium did not really translate into the thrilling, compelling narrative her friend expected. In fact, it didn't even translate into a coherent one.  
  
The main accomplishment of the session so far was illustrating that just as she believed the status quo of Gensokyo was hanging on a very thin thread and the majority of the very people meant to uphold it were one drunken brawl away from ensuring its downfall.   
  
Additionally, a lot of the data seemed to be made up on the go, and absolutely would not make it through peer review. Naturally peer reviewing did not really exist as an institution in Gensokyo, but every outside world source from within last fifty years she could acquire made it clear it's crucially important.  
  
Perhaps there was a deified amanojaku out there, fair enough. The border between gods and youkai was rather vaguely defined at times, even if the claim that all of them were gods once upon a time or could become gods under the right circumstances seemed like a simplification from Keine's standpoint.   
  
Even with that taken into account, out of all youkai species this one didn't seem like the kind of being to attract enough respect or fear to become a proper god, but weirder things happened in the pseudo-history of the supernatural.  
  
However, an amanojaku who's both a native earthly god and supposedly a celestial one at once required not a suspension of disbelief, but a complete disintegration of it. Simply put, it seemed like the kind of tall tale embodiments of tall tales would tell to each other.   
  
Granted, Gensokyo was a land where many such personifications existed, and while three out of four interviewed individuals were more or less human, and the fourth was deeply invested in pretending to be one, from a certain perspective they too existed as tall tales in the common perception. Still, without more solid evidence this claim was dubious at best.  
  
The tale about a fairy capable of defeating an oni seemed to be similarly suspicious. To Keine, its origin was clear.   
  
All fairies boast, it's as natural to them as breathing, and it is fully believable that they would possess some knowledge about other species and the relative degree of respect they commend. It was not implausible a particularly crafty member of the faerie taxon would be able to come up with a coherent made up tale about herself and present it to any willing listener (let alone to unwilling ones). However, presenting such unfounded claims as truth was unfitting for a shrine maiden. Even the rags tengu print wouldn't publish this uncritically.  
  
Nonetheless, she kept writing everything down in complete silence, making sure to include as many “allegedly” and “unproven” in the text as possible. Perhaps she was documenting the events unfolding in a land of fantasy, but this didn't mean the methodology should be any less rigorous than what she grew accustomed to.  
  
“And then, after plowing through all these fairies, we met face to face with the mastermind behind it all," concluded Reimu. “What was her name again? Jouga?”  
  
“Uh, something like that, I think?," agreed Sanae.  
  
“No, no, that's wrong, the name was Junko, I'm pretty sure about this," corrected them Marisa.  
  
“Do you by any chance remember if she perhaps presented her motivation in some way before you fought her?," asked Akyuu. “The readers enjoy ambiguous, complex conflicts as the core of the narrative nowadays. I won't hide I'd be rather happy if it turned out I can provide them with exactly that.”  
  
“I dunno, don't think she did. Maybe Lunarians just piss her off. I'd understand," shrugged Marisa. “She just babbled about vengeance and the value of life and fear of death and so on. Heard better speeches in my life.”  
  
“Lady Suwako doesn't like them either but I'm afraid I can't quote anything she said after I described the events to her," sighed Sanae. “I think it'd be bad for our shrine's publicity.”  
  
“Your ignorance is boundless," mumbled Reisen, more to herself than anyone else in the room.  
  
“I'm intrigued what do you know, then. Care to entertain us with some trivia?," smiled Akyuu, bringing Reisen into the spotlight for the first time since the gathering started. If nothing else, perhaps she could get a contrarian take out of her.  
  
“Just to make sure – none of you are rabbits, right?," the lunar deserter asked, looking around nervously. Her ears were twitching lightly.  
  
“What sort of question is this? Look around, then ask again," bridled Akyuu.  
  
“A very serious one. We're masters of disguise, after all, so it couldn't be ruled out entirely without asking," explained Reisen, very proud of her proficiency at preparing deeply convincing human costumes. It was an open secret to everyone but herself that the identity of the medicine seller who visited the village twice a week was much less mysterious than she herself thought. At least to the kind of people currently gathered in the room.  
  
“Fair enough. Don't worry, you're the only rabbit here," reassured her the event's moderator.  
  
“Well, if so I guess it's fine to tell it to you. My master told me not to relay this information to other rabbits but none of you are rabbits so it's fair game, right?”  
  
“Naturally," agreed Akyuu. The meeting was a slog so far and her associates seemed almost proud of their inability to reforge vague memories into a story, but finally something resembling a potential plotline could emerge. Surely with a few questions goading the rabbit into the right direction she can make this work. Rabbits are fairly easy to control, as far as she could tell based on her limited experience with popular household animals.  
  
“The goal of the invasion was to kill lady Chang'e, who is held imprisoned in the Lunar Capital for the crime of consuming the hourai elixir," explained Reisen nervously. “Apparently it wasn't the first one, also, but you didn't hear this from me.”  
  
“So she's immortal?”  
  
“Probably? My master gives a 98% guarantee on all products so statistically speaking it should be the result, as far as I can tell, and that's certainly what the lunar authorities go with...”  
  
“That's a stupid goal, then. If you kill an immortal they just get up in no time and everything starts again," groaned Reimu from the opposite side of the room.  
  
“Some of us had the questionable luck to witness that," nodded Marisa. “Though I gotta admit it just gets boring after a few times, you know? Not very shocking if you know what's coming.”  
  
“While it is true that consuming the elixir renders one unable to die for real, I believe it is not entirely possible to counter it somehow. Through extraction, perhaps," Reisen said quickly. “Naturally I can't vouch for the methods that woman intended to use – unlike for our medicine, for which a guarantee is always provided – but I'm not going to underestimate this threat either.”  
  
“So to sum up I risked my life because someone out there wanted to check if she – maybe, perhaps – can kill an immortal for good? There are bar fights over in the village less trivial than this," noted Reimu. There were very few things capable of making her genuinely stressed or distraught. There were, however, many which could make her moderately annoyed. And her annoyance could escalate quite easily under the right circumstances.  
  
Keine didn't pay attention to the rising tensions. Her heart did beat faster currently, but for completely different reasons. “Allegedly the invader was capable of extracting the hourai elixir," she wrote. This was perfectly in line with the other ridiculous tales presented on this afternoon which she had to include in the document.   
  
And yet, now the sacramental “allegedly” was almost painful to write down. There was someone in her life who would greatly benefit from such an extraction. For her sake, she really, really wanted to believe all that she heard tonight was real. Save perhaps for the fairy, as that was too much for her suspension of disbelief. The border had to be drawn somewhere.  
  
“It's a very serious matter, I'd prefer if you didn't downplay it like that," groaned Reisen. “The peace of the wide world on both sides of the barrier was at stake, you know. Not that you're someone who could grasp them," she exclaimed with a smirk, perhaps a bit too boldly given the atmosphere.  
  
“Are you implying I'm dumb?”  
  
“Merely that you aim way above your league and comment on matters you have no hope of ever understanding properly," Reisen corrected the question.  
  
“Do you want to get exorcised or something?," groaned Reimu, pulling a stack of ofuda out of her sleeve. New causes of frustration related to her moon excursion kept stacking up for a few weeks already and finally reached critical mass, and any proxy of Earth's satellite seemed like a fine enough vent target.  
  
“Hey, come on, no point in making a scene...," whispered Marisa, trying to unconvincingly diffuse the situation.  
  
“Oh no, there's absolutely a point," Reisen muttered through clenched teeth. Her fingertips emitted weak light already, as the owner of the house noticed in horror. Danmaku was far less destructive than the methods of dispute resolution it replaced, but it was nonetheless ill advised to use it inside an antique building filled to the brim with easily flammable materials. And the family heirlooms of the Hieda clan filling the room definitely were easily flammable.  
  
“The Hieda manor didn't survive centuries in pristine condition for you to trash it as soon as the first opportunity arises," exclaimed Akyuu coldly. “All four of you get out.”  
  
The conference had to draw to a close prematurely. Any potential material which could be recycled in future works wasn't worth the repairs to the priceless mansion which a duel between any of the individuals gathered would necessitate. There was no need for any “allegedly” just this once.  
  


* * *

  
Keine dismissed the class early and was now starring in the distance, trying to put her thoughts together. The symposium she took part in during the weekend was, obviously, a tremendous failure. And yet even now, almost a whole week later, she couldn't stop thinking about the vague information she received. Despite her best effort to forget most of the wasted day, one thing kept reasserting itself in the middle of her thoughts. It was persistent enough to make it difficult to focus on her duties.  
  
There was a small chance someone out there was capable of breaching through the curse of immortality. Someone who existed on the same plane of existence as deified amanojaku and fairies capable of keeping oni at bay, to be fair.   
  
But once before Keine followed a lead which seemed comparatively more bizarre given the original context – and it was the only reason why she was still here. Thus as much as she wanted to follow the usual requirements – two trustworthy primary sources, three secondary peer-reviewed academic ones – the allure was too strong. Anything would do as long as the “allegedly” in her notes would start moving towards “likely”.  
  
Frustratingly, no source available to her provided any more information on the issue she had to face. History of the moon was a well-kept secret and she obviously couldn't even hope to investigate that directly, but the scrolls and tomes amassed over the course of her long career never failed her so thoroughly before.   
  
Something was fishy about the situation, but she wasn't sure what just yet. Even if parts of the tale were made up, it was unnatural for someone with enough influence to attempt to take on the moon to leave no trace in history. Not even erasing something herself would lead to such a perfectly pristine hole in the records of material and supernatural world alike.  
  
Nonetheless, she was certain that she had to continue to push through. A deeply personal matter relied entirely on this, and she was determined to lead this case to a close.  
  
There was one last option left. An option Keine was reluctant to consider due to low quality of the material acquired during the meeting, but the only one she knew she could plausibly rely on to some degree.  
  
This option required money and a small sacrifice. Small sacrifices kept pilling up lately.


	2. Kinugyokuto-shū

A few days have passed before Keine could do anything to further her cause. Free time was precious so she usually made sure to make the most out of it and spent Saturdays taking care of important matters broadly related to her need to protect humans living in Gensokyo (or, at the very least, one human – she had to reluctantly admit the system put in place a few years prior took care of the society as a whole reasonably well, fickle as it was), but just this once this had to be sacrificed in the name of greater good. “After all I'm doing it for her," she thought, justifying staying in the village on a free day to herself.  
  
The village lived according to a set cycle, and traveling medicine sellers had to adhere to it, so thankfully her sacrifice was not in vain. As expected, the participant of the recent symposium, clad in baggy gray robes, punctually passed by the school, where Keine was waiting since the morning. After much consideration, Keine concluded she'd be the one easiest to approach – the other participants in the alleged incident, despite being humans, paradoxically weren't quite as adjusted to the village routine as the one hailing from the moon, and meeting them here when she wasn't working was a matter of luck. Plus she and the rabbit were almost familiar with each other. After all the servant of a close one's on and off nemesis is almost like a friend. Or at least a reasonably close associate.  
  
“Oh, Miss Medicine Seller, may I take a moment of your time?," Keine asked with a smile.  
  
“I heard throat problems are an occupational disease among teachers, is this what you seek treatment for?," replied the merchant. She had slightly different views on the degree of familiarity between them.  
  
“No, but there is something else I'd like to purchase. Could you please come inside?”  
  
Reisen shrugged. Perhaps the problem at hand was of an embarrassing nature and couldn't be discussed in public. Not unusual for pharmaceutical matters. She entered the building and followed Keine to the empty staff room. Due to lack of funding it didn't contain much beyond three mismatched almost new chairs leased from Kourindou and a relatively round table, currently covered by a wide variety of school supplies. It was provided by parents of one of the students, who owned a moderately successful carpentry workshop. Odds were high that before finding its way here the table was unable to find a buyer and simultaneously wouldn't provide any meaningful amount of firewood.  
  
Keine took a seat; her visitor followed suit. One leg of the chair Reisen picked was shorter than the other three, but she decided to ignore it for the time being.  
  
“May I perhaps interest you in one of these pest control charms I've been selling lately? Ten years guarantee provided," she began optimistically. “No opportunity to advertise the side job should go wasted," she kept telling herself every morning.  
  
“No, thank you. What I want to buy is... information, miss Inaba.”  
  
“This sounds weird. Just call me Reisen if you have to blow my cover," she replied bitterly. As far as she was concerned, Keine was a villager – and to villagers she was meant to be a mysterious medicine seller, not an Inaba. The fact they saw each other at least a couple times a year in order to intervene when things were getting too heated near Eientei has minimal impact on this. “It's not like we're entirely strangers to each other, even if I'm still not sure why you feel the need to take part in affairs between immortals," she added reluctantly.  
  
“Fair enough. I'll get straight to the point," replied Keine, deciding to pretend she didn't hear the remark. “What else can you tell me about Junko, Chang'e and the hourai elixir, that you didn't already say at a certain manor last week? While I can't say I found any of the accounts presented fully trustworthy, yours was the only one which actually went into believable details. So you are who I decided to present this question to.”  
  
“My master will be mad if she'll learn about this... I already said too much...," mumbled Reisen. Her ears twitched uncontrollably.  
  
“I have no interest in informing your master about anything," Keine reassured her. Since reassuring words alone aren't enough when it comes to business, she pulled out a stack of money from a messenger bag laying on the table. This was a difficult choice to make – almost a century has passed since she last looked at her savings. If anything else was a stake, she wouldn't even consider it.  
  
As Gensokyo was untouched by monetary reforms, inflation and other similar forms of arcane manipulation, what Keine gained many years ago by selling her house and most of her old possessions was still a reasonably large sum of money for someone living in a small village. And a considerable percentage of that sum was now in her hand.  
  
Reisen's eyes met with these of empress Jingu from the banknote. She could've sworn they radiated some sort of hypnotic energy, like her own did on a moonlit night. It's as if the portrait was whispering to her about attaining a new degree of financial independence. One exceeding what she could accomplish just by selling pest control charms and similar paraphernalia. One which was most likely sufficient to conquer the prices of human clothes offered in the village, before unattainable to her. Sufficient to pay someone to sew a whole wardrobe just for her, even. Surely wearing clothes woven on this planet by the hands of its inhabitants would help her with getting close to her dream of truly becoming a rabbit of Earth? Eirin was against it, arguing the uniform is still in perfectly fine condition, but it felt more and more weird to continue dressing as if she was still on active duty.  
  
“Okay, fine. Tell me what exactly do you want to know," she cracked under the pressure of the market forces.  
  
“Everything," Keine smiled and pulled out a clean scroll and set of writing supplies from the same bag. “Let's start where we stopped previously, shall we?”  
  
“My master said the elixir, due to being derived from the princess' nature, does not truly become part of one's self when consumed, as nobody else can truly control the instantaneous like she does. So while it's not easy to remove it, it's most likely not impossible either, as I stated back then," Reisen explained nonchalantly, simultaneously calculating what else would suddenly become affordable thanks to this unexpected lucky occurence.  
  
“I see, I see. So far so good, much better than the tall tales about fairies fighting oni that the shrine maiden peddled to us back then. As you said last week, you're under the impression that woman you fought with the others on the moon could potentially be capable of completing such a removal?”  
  
“Yes, I think extrapolating my observations like that is fair. As far as I could observe, Junko's power works like refining metals. Her touch purges any imperfections and and only leaves the true self. I saw her turn moon rocks into pure magnesium. And there were these accursed fairies everywhere, it was as if what makes them fairies was filtered and enhanced," repleid Reisen. “So by extension, I do find it fully believable that she would be capable of cleansing the elixir from Lady Chang'e's body to render her mortal.”  
  
“That's exactly what I wanted to hear," said Keine with a broad smile. Reisen was deeply convincing when she was not panicking – close enough to a respectable historical source, at least in a realm without pariticularly many of these around. “Do you by any chance know where I can find her now, since I assume she's no longer on the moon?”  
  
Reisen couldn't believe her ears. Were immortals not enough for this woman? Did she also need the most dangerous enemy of the moon other than congenital diseases in her social circle?  
  
“Are you insane?”  
  
“I asked you a simple question," Keine replied calmly. “And I'm offering a generous reward for the answers," she added, once again waving the stack of money in front of Reisen's eyes.  
  
“In Hell," Reisen stated after a longer pause as materialism once again triumphed over any and all concerns. “I didn't mention any of it during the meeting, but you have my word for it," she added quickly. “As far as I could tell she's in cahoots with the Goddess of Hell. So it seems logical, right?” She decided not to mention she learned this in a dream. While the uncomfortably friendly village woman seemed more than enthusiastic about the information she provided her with, it was in her best interest not to risk saying anything that could result in the money disappearing from the table. And the risk that not hiding certain aspects of the events could lead to the money vanishing from the table shouldn't be underestimated.  
  
“Goddess of Hell? Do you mean a yama? Does she work under one?”  
  
“I don't know how hell works, they always discouraged us from pondering death back on the moon, but I know what a yama is and she definitely wasn't one. That's as much as I'm willing to say, everything else felt like a bad trip. You already got more out of me than the Hieda girl but I won't budge further.”  
  
“Fine enough. I learned what I wanted," capitulated Keine. “The money is yours” A plan was already forming in her head. A plan founded on information that was as baffling what was presented at Akyuu's manor, but a plan nonetheless.


	3. Tōshi Kaden

Thanks to Reisen's will to cooperate, there was no need for the sacrifice Keine assumed she would have to make. Sure, by the time she arrived at the right spot in the bamboo forest it was already evening, but it still counted as Saturday. Everything was perfectly fine and in accordance with agreed upon schedule. Their weekly meeting will be able to commence as soon as she'll step through the door of Mokou's house.  
  
The immortal's chosen dwelling was most likely as old as the bamboo forest itself. To call it a house was rather gratuitous, it was more of an overgrown shack. It was, for all intents and purposes, at least as forgotten as its owner. Despite years of persuasion, Mokou refused to move into a house in the village instead. She didn't fully reject society as a whole anymore, but she nonetheless felt a strong need to performatively show her disdain for it through at least some actions every now and then. Living inside a building kept together only by mold, and perhaps additionally the sheer force of her will, was a prime example of that.  
  
“Are you home, Mokou?”  
  
There was no response. Keine sighed and opened the door. She was the only person who ever visited this place who'd actually enter it through the door, so there was no risk of being mistaken for an intruder. Presumably Kaguya's assassins, as well as independent enthusiasts of hourai foie gras, hourai liverwurst, and other similar delicacies had different, distinct methods of entering the Fujiwara clan's humble Gensokyo abode.  
  
“I know I didn't visit for much longer than usual, but I was very busy”, she exclaimed with a smile. “As compensation I bring the best news you've ever heard, I guarantee.”  
  
Just like a few moments before, there was no reply. However, even in the dark it was easy to tell that the resident was, without a single doubt, at home. On the floor, to be precise. Keine shook her head in disapproval. This was to be expected, but still disheartening nonetheless. If left to her own devices for too long, Mokou would inevitably engage in various self-destructive pursuits – or, if that seemed like too much effort, seek ways to make regular activities self-destructive.  
  
Keine sat down on the floor carefully, avoiding piles of moldy rags, old utensils, and other mystifying objects littering it, as well as a wide variety of spiders, including at least some clearly endemic varieties, capable of surviving only in the unique ecosystems provided by Mokou's house. The hourai elixir, like a supernatural answer to toxic waste, slowly poisoned the affected area. While naturally the bugs and fungi on the floor were not immortal, they weren't quite like the their brethren on the outside either. They were much more prone to premature graying, for one, which was sadly hard to observe as most of them lacked hair.  
  
“Before I'll share the happy news with you, would you kindly tell me what was it this time?”, she asked quietly, trying to ignore the marvels of mycology and invertebrate zoology alike. With a bit of luck it'll turn out Mokou simply lost track of time and her unresponsiveness was the result of sleeping at weird times rather than any questionable pursuits. She should be happy that these only occurred every now and then rather than constantly, but instead, with every step Mokou took towards regaining her humanity, with every villager she guided safely through the forest and each evening the two of them shared, seeing her in a condition like this was becoming more and more painful.  
  
The sole sentient denizen of the shack opened her eyes slowly. “Futo came over and we had a few drinks”, she replied with difficulty. While her clothes were, in part thanks to Keine's efforts, in better condition than the floor, they definitely remembered better times. Even if one was to judge them only by the low standards meant for people who decide to live alone in a forest with minimal survival skills.  
  
“What sort of drinks?”, Keine asked with resignation. This response already told her all she needed to know. The happy news had to wait, right now she had to focus on evaluating how severe the indisputably necessary intervention should be.  
  
To be fair, Mononobe no Futo was not a particularly bad person, if one was willing to look past centuries of pent up religious bigotry, second among her vices only to complete and utter ineptitude, which generally lead to the Buddhists (or, as she called them, “vegetarian demon worshipers”; without a doubt a sign of Seiga's influence over her fellow followers of the Tao) being spared from her wrath.   
  
For reasons not fully understood by Keine, she was also one of the only people Mokou was capable of willingly socializing with. Usually it simply involved reminiscing about the (not so) good old times – perhaps it helped that they were separated by less than two centuries, and on top of that as descendants of a client clan of the Mononobe— the ritual purificators of Nakatomi— the Fujiwara clan of old shared many similar customs and experiences, meaning that even for Mokou, it was relatively easy to find common ground in this situation. The problem was that Futo was seemingly incapable of keeping track of what hermits are capable of which other people aren't.   
  
This made her a perfect middleman between Mokou and many new and exciting ways to ruin her health.  
  
“The Taoist sort, obviously. You now, mercury, five element powder, that sort of stuff.”  
  
Unlike the villagers and most youkai, the Taoists took a haute couture approach to stimulants. Their alchemy kept providing them with new, exciting concoctions, allegedly meant to help them with reaching heaven. The only things all of them had in common was the usage of large amounts of mercury and utterly devastating impact on the health of any potential consumers.  
  
“I assume the result wasn't particularly pleasant, since despite the similarities in lifestyle you're not actually a hermit?”  
  
“I only died three times”, replied Mokou. “No need to make a fuss.”  
  
“Just because you can recover from that doesn't mean you should do it”, Keine reprimanded her. “Are you alright now?”, she asked out of habit, despite the obvious signs on the contrary.  
  
“Of course I am”, replied the immortal as convincingly as it was possible for someone whose metabolism clearly wasn't prepared for alchemical substances of dubious legality, but who nonetheless decided to challenge it.  
  
“With all due respect I don't really find this believable. Can you at least get up on your own?”  
  
***  
  
Mokou wasn't sure if she was capable of that, which meant the only appropriate intervention was the full course.  
  
Keine might've not looked like she's capable of carrying great weights, but in moments like these partial youkai ancestry came in handy. Mokou wasn't all that heavy, anyway. Growing up as a not particularly loved child in the Asuka period didn't contribute to particularly extensive growth spurs. Likewise, her current lifestyle, largely devoided of healthy exercise and centered around proving her body wrong when it insisted something is impossible didn't support the development of extensive muscle mass, while eating perhaps twice a week guaranteed lack of excess fat.  
  
This was not the first time when despite completely different original intent she ended up carrying Gensokyo's foremost nihilist through the bamboo forest to put her back together, metaphorically or figuratively, in her own house at the outskirts of the village. However, with a bit of luck it'll be the last. Sure, it did depend on trusting vague and possibly inaccurate sources, but it was a chance too unique to pass on it.  
  
***  
Immediately after reaching the destination, Mokou was bathed, her hair got brushed, her set of fireproof charms was reapplied carefully, and she received a new pair of pants, as it was more than clear the old ones required a plenty of repairs before being potentially pressed back into service. Keeping track of all of these matters would be much easier if they would be living together.  
  
A small section of the desk had to be cleared to let the scion of the once proud house Fujiwara sit down and eat something for the first time in a longer while.  
  
“I'm terribly sorry it had to come to this once again. I know I broke my promise and didn't come over last week as I guaranteed to you I will do, I understand this might've contributed to your poor mood?”, asked Keine, still trying to find a place for a set of scrolls she picked up from the desk. They contained records of all businesses opened or closed in the village within last fifty years; history had to be recorded constantly, no matter how trivial it was.  
  
“It's fine, not a problem, two weeks are like nothing to me”, mumbled Mokou from behind a bowl of tea gruel. Mercury elixir-induced hangover was still hangover, or so Keine assumed, at the very least. She read once that the hakutaku is supposed to be the highest possible authority on remedies. Since this belief never spread past a single prefecture, it didn't fully reassure her, but there was no other option sometimes than to trust her instinct. While not particularly tasty, the dish was warm and filling, so the patient didn't object.  
  
“I'm glad, but I still want to make up for it somehow. Luckily, the happy news I mentioned to you earlier should make it possible to do just that, at least in the long run. These two weeks allowed me to discover something of great importance to you... Or rather, perhaps I should say, to us.”  
  
“What is it?”, asked the victim of more than one shady elixir without much discernible emotion. She did enjoy Keine's company quite a bit, but due to dedication to scholarly pursuits she had trouble with evaluating to what degree other people share her interests, so optimism about similar declarations had to be cautious by principle. With all due respect for the effort that went into researching it, hearing diatribes about the changes in administrative structure of the Ryukyu Kingdom were not particularly exciting.  
  
“There might be a way for you to break free from the curse of immortality”, Keine replied quickly. “I know it's not an easy choice to make but perhaps you'll still be interested in hearing what I managed to discover?”  
  
“You're wrong, it's an easy choice”, Mokou responded after a longer pause. Clarity of mind was slowly returning to her.  
  
“Are you sure?”, asked Keine from the other side of the room. The scrolls ended up temporarily stored on a small shelf above the futon, originally meant for her hat and occasionally Mokou's ribbon.  
  
“I am. I want to hear everything”, the immortal replied, nodding in a way which from a certain, highly optimistic, point of view could be considered enthusiastic.  
  
“Where does this sudden bout of enthusiasm come from?”, Keine smiled in response. “You were barely able to communicate with me mere two hours ago.”  
  
“I was, but this doesn't matter now”, exclaimed Mokou, gritting her teeth.“I spent centuries trying to get rid of my immortality, and when that failed I resigned to making myself miserable as punishment”, she began, talking quickly in order to make sure she won't be able to reconsider making her feelings clear for once. “It only became possible for me to try to break the vicious cycle thanks to your help. Because even if we'll never be the same and I can't fully join the world of humans, you saw the remnants of humanity deep in me and did all you could to help me notice it, too. So I trust that you genuinely found a viable way to help me, because that's what you've been doing since we first met.”  
  
Keine blushed. That was much more than she expected to hear on this night – or on any night within this decade, for that matter. Truth to be told, until a few minutes ago, she was worried she won't even hear any coherent sentences today.  
  
“I do think there's a chance”, she replied slowly. “It won't be easy, of course. And despite rigorous research, I'm unable to guarantee the desired outcome, or even the fact the method exists to begin with. And, of course, even if we succeed, I don't think it'll let you magically overcome all your problems.”  
  
“Then we have to try. I want to become a part of your world, Keine. And... I guess that means we have to make an attempt as soon as possible.”  
  
“That's... that's an unusually sincere and straightforward declaration”, she stuttered. “I appreciate it a lot.”  
  
“I'm glad. Can you tell me what did you discover, exactly?”  
  
“Of course”, Keine smiled, taking a seat next to Mokou. She unrolled the scroll prepared during her interrogation of the lunar medicine seller. “You see, it would appear there's an entity... a person, perhaps, I'm not sure... who could probably remove the hourai elixir from your body, leaving only your mortal self. Based on my sources, she resides in Hell. I don't know how exactly Hell is structured, mind you, but that's not much of a concern...”  
  
“And you think she would be willing to help me?”  
  
“Well, my sources claim she has a grudge against the people of the moon, just like you. There would definitely be common ground to find.”  
  
There was only one source, obviously. And mere hours ago Keine wasn't sure if she can trust it. But the declaration she heard was all she needed to become convinced that not only Reisen's account must've been true, but also that it was possible for them to find the mysterious individual with a grudge against Chang’e, and convince her to help them.  
  
Because there was nothing she wanted more than to be a part of the same world as Mokou.  
  
“Well, you're the one who's good with sources between us two, so that sounds solid enough for me. How exactly are we going to get there, though? I think I have the sinner part nailed down when it comes to hell, but I can't die to get there...”  
  
“Oh, that's not a problem. There's a way to reach hell from Gensokyo, I'm surprised you didn't hear before”, Keine explained, genuinely surprised.  
  
“I never bothered to investigate and learning there's hell and heaven made me reconsider if Buddhism is really for me, I really liked the idea of obliteration of the self and no real afterlife to speak of," admitted Mokou.  
  
“It's not an easy route, but it's not an impossibly hard one either, it'd appear the shrine maiden and other usual suspects were able to follow it multiple times, so we can do it too. Especially since I can get us the best guide to hell there is.”  
  
“Who is it?”  
  
“My mentor, Hieda no Akyuu. I introduced you two to each other that one time last year, do you remember? She was that young girl with flowers in her hair.”  
  
“Oh yeah, I do remember something”, mumbled Mokou, but didn't pursue the topic further. “Let's do it, then. Let's go tomorrow, if we can. I want to be done with it as soon as possible.”  
  
“Preparing for this will take me a few days”, replied Keine, carefully evaluating the risks. “Also, do you remember what I recommended to you when you first told me your life's story?”  
  
“That I should go confront my past on the mountain and tell that goddess in charge of immortality that I'm sorry, or something.”  
  
“More or less, yes. I don't want to oblige you to do it under short notice or anything like that, but it seems to me like now would be good time to do it, and it'd give me time to make the necessary preparations. I'm under the impression it'd be awkward for you to do it afterwards if... or rather when we succeed, too.”  
  
“Well, that's true”, admitted Mokou. “I guess it'll be a good start to my new life. I'll do it tomorrow, then.”  
  
“You should go to sleep, if so. It's quite late already”, noted Keine. “I'll join you in a a few minutes, I must prepare a few things for tomorrow.”  
  
***  
After putting on her nightgown, Keine laid down next to Mokou on the futon. Much to her surprise, the immortal's eyes were still wide open.  
  
“Are you awake, Mokou?”, she asked quietly.  
  
“Yes. Excitement makes it hard to fall asleep. But I will be fine, don't worry.”  
  
“I'm glad you're so sure about this and that it helped you shrug off the earlier problems, but I have to admit I'm a bit worried nonetheless...”  
  
“Why exactly? I thought you wanted to see me enjoy my life.”  
  
“I did. I'm just unsure if you will be able to get used to... well, not dying.”  
  
“Oh, come on, we'll find a way. Plus you'll be here to protect me no matter what, right?”  
  
Keine blushed for the second time this night.  
  
“Yes, I will be”, she replied. Her feelings for Mokou varied in intensity depending on circumstances, but even with that in mind she was sure this night was something else altogether. She always saw a certain allure in her, even back when she wasn't fully aware of these feelings and assumed any interest going beyond her general need to help these in need is of purely scholarly nature, despite Akyuu's remarks about it. Tonight felt like discovering it all over again.  
  
It had to be celebrated somehow.  
  
Suddenly, an idea came to her. And idea which would make it possible to combine that with showing Mokou that she will, indeed, always be here to protect her.  
  
“Mokou... could you unbutton your shirt a bit?”, she asked quietly. This was further than they ever got before, but it was only natural to offer something new to Mokou too in exchange for her unusually sincere and heartfelt declaration.  
  
“Sure, no problem”, replied the immortal with a faint smile. The uppermost part of her torso ended up uncovered after a brief struggle with the buttons in the dark.  
  
Keine contemplated it for a moment in the dark, trying to remember if anything in the past might've indicated if there were any particularly sensitive spots in the surveyed area, before pressing her lips against Mokou's skin.  
  
The kiss left a clearly visible mark between her collarbones.  
  
“I want to see this again when we'll meet here after your pilgrimage, so please don't die up there”, she whispered. “Think of it as a mark of my protection. The image of the hakutaku is supposed to ward off evil, after all, and I'm sure this extends even to images as vague as this.”  
  
“You have my promise”, smiled Mokou, before finally falling asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My proofreader enjoyed this chapter a lot, but I'd love to hear other opinions, so don't hesitate to leave a comment or contact me over at tumblr to share any insights (my url is the same as my username here).
> 
> Next chapter should be up some time early next week.


	4. Suwa Engi Emaki

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was uncertain how to handle the Iwanagahime issue, hopefully the approach I took is satisfying.

The first thing Mokou noticed after waking up was the fact Keine was already bustling around the room. Additionally, only a pair of scrolls and a handful of loose notes remained on the formerly disorganized table. A travel bag stood at each of the two chairs. Her enthusiasm from last night was taken even more seriously than she expected.  
  
“Please hurry up a bit, if you can, I'll be in a rush for most of the day so it's for the best if you'll leave early,” Keine said, noticing her guest picking up clothes.  
  
“Alright, alright,” Mokou sighed, making sure all the charms on her pants were applied properly. With her promise to stay alive for the time being it was crucial to check thrice if they're intact. “No point in delaying my meeting with Iwanagahime further, eh?”  
  
“I'm glad you said It yourself. Don't worry, you won't have to wander aimlessly, I prepared as well as I could for this. I sadly never figured out where exactly does Iwanagahime reside – all we can be sure about is that it ought to be near the top of the mountain. Mountain gods can be broadly divided into two categories, and she's not an agriculture deity – those usually dwell in the foothills. Additionally, it can be safely assumed you won't find her in the close proximity of the Moriya shrine, otherwise we'd know about the gods having a spat over it. This means you'd have to approach the mountaintop area from the opposite side of the lake.”  
  
“That explanation doesn't help much. I've never been there in the first place, I'll never figure out the right path myself.” Truth to be told there were rather few places in Gensokyo this statement wouldn't apply to. For someone suffering from terminal boredom, the scion of the once great Fujiwara clan was pretty hellbent on not venturing much beyond a select few locations. Perhaps her past experience with broadly understood sightseeing tours courtesy of Iwakasa Travels had something to do with it.  
  
“That's not a problem. I managed to acquire a long-nose tengu map, with seemingly accurate... administrative divisions included. I added some notes for clarity last night, too. This should be enough," continued Keine sternly, pointing at a surprisingly plain scroll. “It was meant to be your birthday gift next year, but since you found a different source of motivation to undertake that journey, there's no point in waiting so long for it.”  
  
Mokou did not actually remember when her birthday was. In fact, it took Keine a few weeks to pinpoint exactly which decade she was born in. Naturally, the lives of the descendants of Fujiwawa no Fuhito who left a tangible mark of history were well-documented; sadly, she was not one of them. She existed in the land of “supposedly” and “allegedly”. “Allegedly” Fujiwara no Fuhito had a number of children with other women than his four official wives, and “supposedly” most of them did not contribute much to history of Japan, with their legitimacy disputed by experts in esoteric journals.  
  
For convenience's sake, they settled on celebrating on the anniversary of the day when they first met instead. A symbolic start of reintegration into human society was almost like a new birth, after all.  
  
“So am I just supposed to pick my poison from among the youkai?”, Mokou asked after unrolling the map. She expected something highly stylized, but it was thankfully rather simple and fully legible. Tengu printing was of a surprisingly high quality, despite still relying on vintage ceramic type, imported from some forgotten city in southern China many centuries ago.  
  
The minions of Tenma might've officially been staunch traditionalists, but that didn't stop them from staying up to date with newest developments in cartography. A patchwork of red, blue and green areas, representing tengu, kappa and yamanba domains respectively covered the mountain, with the exception of its very top and a variety of small enclaves on its foothills, where gods presumably resided. What gods exactly were they did not seem to concern the cartographer much.  
  
Additional symbols detailed various, likely dubious, tengu land claims to the areas held by other species. For a society proud of abandoning the oni yoke they seemed quite happy with seeing themselves as the inheritors of the system (an argument could be made that as oni are horrible at organization, it was only the fact some of their tributaries were keen on establishing their superiority over others that prevented it all from collapsing immediately). A smaller scroll included as an attachment contained Keine's notes, which dealt with much more prosaic matters, mostly related to using plants as indicators how far the mountaintop – and thus the crater lake - is.  
  
“No, you will only have to make sure you'll be moving from the territory of one yamanba to another, avoiding the tengu and kappa areas. Each of them presides over a sizable forest sanctuary, which actually means that on most of the mountain your odds of encountering any youkai are quite low – the population density is probably comparable to the bamboo forest, if not lower. The fearsome reputation of these solitary mountain dwellers guarantees next to no intruders venture too high.”  
  
“But aren't the hags cannibals? Isn't this a huge risk, even if there's only a few of them?”  
  
“While I never met any, and neither did any of my associates, I studied the folklore and actually in most stories they appear as either a peculiar good luck omen, or an ersatz mother figure for orphaned or abandoned protagonists. By youkai standards they seem relatively benign, despite their gruesome appearance, fondness of brandishing enormous blades, and referring to anything younger than from the Kofun era as pointless novelties. Plus I never heard about any of them attacking villagers, just tengu, so you should be fine," Keine explained slowly. She paused for a bit, pondering if she should describe the wealth of regional variations of the discussed legend in greater detail, but ultimately decided Mokou won't need it. For now, at least. “Most of these narratives date from quite recent periods which explains why you're unfamiliar with them," she finished quickly.  
  
“I'm not entirely convinced, but if you say so...”  
  
“You can trust me on this. While as I said there are a few details I'm not entirely sure about, what I can say with absolute certainty is that you'll be able to locate Iwanagihime and make your amends, which ought to be more than enough to prepare you for further journeys needed to fully restore your humanity.”  
  
Mokou smiled. Keine's conviction was unshakable, as she learned many times already. Even if she herself will falter in her resolve – hard to tell for how long the rarely used reserves of enthusiasm will last – with her protector so dead-set on this goal she could safely expect she'll appear herself to physically push her to the top of the mountain if needed. Of course it won't be needed, though. That would be rather embarrassing.  
  
“One more thing”, Keine added nervously, pointing at a small box. “I made you lunch. Please pack it up alongside the map.”  
  
***  
Mokou consulted the map for what she concluded will be the last time before taking a turn to the left. Just as Keine's commentary included with it said, the trees started to gradually change as she moved upwards. Spruces made way for shorter and shorter creeping pines, and now even they were slowly starting to disappear. Assuming the instructions were accurate, she was almost there.  
  
The scrolls were surprisingly straightforward, she only lost track of the map once, almost risking an encounter with the kappas; she could still almost feel the faint smell of smoke from their workshops now. What was burning in their furnaces, fueling the fires (and smog) of industry, was most likely better off left unexplored.  
  
The other close encounter with youkai artifacts was, in contrast, insufferably rustic, to put it lightly. Near the trail someone hung half a dozen of humongous knifes from a tree. To be fair that was to be expected given how it's hag country she's traversing. While she didn't know it, and neither did the author of the map nor even the included commentary, as gruesome as they were, the cleavers and knifes weren't merely supposed to strike fear into the hearts of trespassers.  
  
Someone will inevitably write a fascinating ethnographic work about the role of knifes in yamanba culture as status symbol, currency and border markings, but sadly today was not going to be that day.  
  
The sun has already set down when Mokou reached her destination; she hardly noticed the passage of time, caught up in a mix of rare own enthusiasm and Keine's faith in her. Despite her centuries long efforts to not only remain frail, but actively render herself more and more incapable of functioning properly, her condition and fortitude actually managed to improve a bit since the last time she climbed a mountain. Arguably the fact the dangers here were related to the inhabitants rather than harsh environment helped, too.  
  
Apparently, the god of the Moriya shrine claimed that as long as she resides there the volcano will remain inactive; the lake she placed on the very top, brought over from the outside world alongside the shrine complex, was meant to serve as a visible guarantee.  
  
The first thing Mokou noticed was the sheer size of the lake, further emphasized by the limited light provided by the moon, hiding the surroundings even from eyes well accustomed to the night. The shrine and nearby onbashira on the opposite side were barely visible. What was, however, visible rather clearly was a small figure standing at the shore of a lake, between a couple of hardy pine shrubs. The mysterious entity snickered quietly, presumably observing the former crater.  
  
A number of associations went through her mind as the crouched figure turned around. Dried fruit. Small creatures scuttling underneath rocks. A hint of very old unglazed pottery, akin to the ancient broken jars Keine insisted on showing her over and over again (“Genuine Jomon artifacts”, she said. “It means someone already lived in Gensokyo back then, long before even the oldest youkai”, she said. She said many other things, as well, but it was difficult to recall them now, and most likely would not be helpful, as mountain gods are not known to be interested in estimating the age of broken earthenware).  
  
All things considered, the stranger was pretty ugly. In a strange, unique, antiquated way. There were many ways to be ugly, some less distinct than other.  
  
Being ugly seemed to be the defining trait of the goddess she was looking for. And common sense dictated that if a map claims an area is inhabited by gods, any stranger encountered there has to be a god. Jackpot.  
  
The hazy eyes of the mountain dweller met with Mokou's own. She couldn't help but think that they remind her of a huge salamander she saw in a river once when she was a young child. While the glare of that amphibian did not give the brightest of impressions, it definitely commanded a degree of respect; this was quite similar.  
  
“Are you a god?", she asked, unsure what else could serve as a conversation starter.  
  
“Depends on who's asking, but generally I am," the entity replied dismissively. Her voice was husky and monotonous. “Who are you and what you're looking for here, in the domain of the god of this mountain? Got any offerings?”  
  
“My name is Fujiwara no Mokou. I'm seeking... closure, I guess.”  
  
“Damn, been a long while since I saw anyone who'd still stick to the ‘no’ today. I was once a big deal among a plenty of people with ‘no’ in their name, you know? The Mononobe, the Hata, the Nakatomi, the Inbe, all wanted my support and guidance. Or at least the support of my shrine. At least unofficially. You don't really seem similar to them.”  
  
“That's... interesting”, Mokou nodded with false enthusiasm. She recognized some of the names listed from her distant childhood. Of course she didn't seem similar to them, none of them were capable of comprehending the incredible value of suspenders, clearly vastly superior to the courtly fashion from back then. That aside, it all seemed to fit together reasonably well, prominent clans would obviously seek the goddess of longevity and then attempt to remain in her good graces.  
  
“It really isn't, all these people start to blur together after a few centuries. All that matters is whether they provide faith and offerings. Speaking of that – I asked already once, do you have anything for me?”  
  
Mokou surveyed the insides of her bag in contemplation. In hindsight she didn't plan this trip quite as well as she should've, but Keine's words from last night were uplifting enough to convince her the time to act was here and now. Luckily, among spare clothes, medical supplies and various other objects whose inclusion would make perfect sense to anyone else but didn't for her, she managed to spot something that should be able to pass as an offering. She had trouble with remembering to eat, even when her body was physically starting to break down, so naturally the bento was left untouched for the whole day. Surely Keine won't be mad about it being used this way.  
  
She silently handed it over to the demanding mountain being.  
  
“Seen better, but it'll do”, approved the supposed deity after critically evaluating the contents. Keine possessed a nearly endless supply of pickled vegetables gifted by grateful parents, and the food inside the box reflected that. “Count yourself lucky. I will listen to you. Go ahead!”  
  
“Long ago, I did something I shouldn't have done," she began slowly. The goddess' glare, no less diligent now than before even though she was seemingly focused on the pickled daikon from the box, made her uneasy. Only one person heard the full story before, and the circumstances were vastly different. But this was the only way to push ahead, no matter how long she'd try to wait that would never change. “There was an elixir... a poison, you could say... which a certain honest and well-respected man, named Tsuki no Iwakasa, was supposed to dispose of.”  
  
“And what's up with that?”  
  
Most of the daikon slices already disappeared inside the partially toothless mouth of the deity. She seemed to enjoy pickles.  
  
“I killed that man – at least I'm pretty sure that's what I did - and took the poison for myself.”  
  
“And then what, did you kill someone with it? Was it a double murder? That's pretty interesting, I love this kind of stories.”  
  
“No, I drank it myself.”  
  
“Must've been a pretty shoddy poison if you're still here, bothering me about this. Why did you do this in the first place, anyway? It sounds dumb.”  
  
“I wanted to spite someone. A woman who turned down my father. The elixir was... hers. In a way it was a part of her, actually.”  
  
“How come?”  
  
“I suppose in the beginning I wanted to gain my father's approval. I was not a particularly loved child and wanted to change this. Become someone who's worthy of being a part of the Fujiwara clan, the power behind the throne. But with time the grudge grew personal and I lost track of its original purpose. And due to how things unfolded later, I never met my family again, and even if I would've been able to I doubt my actions would change their view of me for the better.”  
  
“From a certain point of view that's a net gain, no? No need to worry about it anymore. Nobody else really cares besides you.”  
  
“I suppose you're right about that, but I still think I owe many people an apology. That's why I decided to finally come here. To confront my past and make necessary spiritual amends”, exclaimed Mokou with determination. She wasn't sure how to talk with deities, but that didn't matter anymore. All that mattered was whether she could finish this and come back to tell Keine she's done with her half of the preparations.  
  
“I still don't get one thing, though. Why are you telling this to me?”, groaned the goddess. The box she accepted as a stand-in for a proper offering was already empty.  
  
“Because you're Iwanagahime? The goddess who was meant to receive that elixir to dispose of it, and the tutelary deity of immortality? The only god who can tell me if I can achieve absolution and maybe break the curse of immortality, the curse of that damn elixir?” A few tears rolled down her face.  
  
The goddess scratched her head. “You see, the thing is, I am not Iwanagahime, with her fancy power over longevity. I'm just the god of the Suwa lake. This lake you see right here. Suwako Moriya, at your service. But I don't actually offer any services directly, ask Kanako for that at the shrine, she handles the sales,” the alleged Iwanagahime explained rapidly, gesticulating wildly. “Weddings, funerals, multipurpose blessings, earthworks, nuclear physics, we can do it all. I can curse pretty efficiently too but only unofficially and it'd cost extra...”  
  
“But you said you're the god of this mountain! Was that a lie?”  
  
“Oh, no, that is true. I took over Iwanagihime's place after Kanako convinced me to move here, after all any faith is useful. She almost took this job herself but she wants to move away from being just a mountain god, you see. Even if it was not enough to keep the old owners afloat, it's good enough for me," she grinned. "Though I don't need it all that much nowadays, things are going pretty well, all thanks to my precious descendant that we brought with us. Maybe you saw her down there at the village before? This girl's going to go places, I'm telling you.”  
  
“Where's Iwanagahime then?” asked Mokou. Frustration was accumulating and hearing the goddess ramble about some relative she had no way to be aware of definitely didn't help. It's as if she was trying to become more and more dismissive towards her plight on purpose.  
  
“Gone and almost forgotten. By god standards that means she's as good as dead and won't answer you, so you shouldn't be mad I answered you instead. Turns out nobody really wants to pray for longevity when medicine can offer it. Happens to the best of us. The myths which bind a god to their role can be pretty merciless when one starts to run out of faith, but it's for the best,” Suwako explained. “Scary things happen when a god runs freely, with no obligations to worshippers providing faith”, she added in a hushed tone, as if she was worried someone might overhear it.  
  
“What should I do, then? I spent centuries waiting for a chance to do this.”  
  
“Take it as advice from someone who's been alive for much longer than you are: from the sound of it you're just clinging to the past too much. Let it all go. Nobody really cares, dead people keep reincarnating and forget their memories and earthly attachments. Start a new life. Unlike us gods you humans can do as you please, you have no myth binding you in place. No point in having something from centuries ago define the present.”  
  
“I do have something binding me in place, technically”, the seeker of forgiveness sighed. It was not entirely true, as she told herself. Keine did not bind her in place, rather she worked diligently to break her bounds. The process was so low until now that it was in itself like a binding, though. A bizarrely pleasant one, to be fair. Being bound to something different than ancient vendettas and grief seemed like a nice change of pace. But for as long as the poison brought over from the moon was in her veins she wouldn't be able to fully appreciate it – and for as long as she had to maintain her vendettas, this poison had to be there to serve as a reminder.  
  
For this very reason, despite the initial angry reception, Suwako's advice fell on fertile ground. Deep down Mokou wanted to be able to move on, and knowing that nobody else cares about her past much filled her with a sense of freedom. “In a way it only confirms what you said. I should start a new life, with the living rather than the dead," she concluded.  
  
Deep down the immortal wanted to change. On some level she wanted to simply be Mokou, without any epiteths or supernatural powers.  
  
“See, told you," said Suwako. With a bit of luck she'll have a few hours of the night left to herself, and she got a pretty decent portion of pickled daikon out of it, which by her standards constituted a perfectly fine day off.  
  
Mokou bowed her head solemnly. “I'm sorry about intruding and asking you all these questions”, she blurted out. “Even though you are not Iwanagahime, you gave me the best advice I could hope for.”  
  
Advice which confirms one's preexisting biases is generally believed to be the best.  
  
“No problem, no problem. And remember the other thing I said, too - weddings, funerals, blessings, earthworks, nuclear physics, we can do it all. Just ask around.”


	5. Bai Ze Tu

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope the people who kept asking me on tumblr about Matara-jin are reading this, there's a hidden treat for them in this chapter.

Unlike Mokou's trek to the mountaintop, Keine’s journey didn't involve crossing any difficult terrain or any risk of facing the uncertain dangers that lurked in areas outside the reach of civilization.  
  
Quite the opposite, the place was what she called home for a number of decades, prior to the beginning of her tenure as the village's first teacher. That was precisely what made it difficult for her.  
  
From a certain point of view, the manor through whose gates she passed was the very essence of Gensokyo – or at least its human core, the battery which kept everything else running.  
  
Originally the village was merely a forgotten tax-exempt hamlet under the control of the Hieda clan, with this building serving as the spot where it was informally created, after the first Child of Miare made a bizarre pact with an affluent youkai, meant to prolong the existence of them both.  
  
Once the center of the settlement, the estate now stood on its outskirts, much like those of other well established families. The majority of the village’s social life now occurred elsewhere, among the stores and workshops belonging to the slowly, but steadily growing middle class.  
  
The servants were all familiar with Keine. So were their parents and grandparents before them, for that matter. Her close relation to the Hieda bloodline was well known, and the decision to leave its orbit was still viewed as shocking by the oldest among the servants.  
  
The mistress of the house was at home, as expected. It was generally uncommon for her to be anywhere else for purposes other than business. The reason behind this was a combination of poor health and political importance. It was steadily changing over the course of the past few months, but the pace was rather slow for the time being. Technically speaking it was still business. After all the Motoori family was tasked with printing both the Gensokyo Chronicle itself and other works of the Hieda clan, so it was, as she argued, a necessity to visit them often.  
  
A visitor's arrival left no visible impact on her mood. She continued scribbling something diligently.  
  
“Akyuu, I'm terribly sorry to intrude, but I need your help,” Keine began, trying to avoid eye contact.  
  
The room didn't change much since her last visit. Or her first visit ever, for that matter. The only changes were a few small additions dating back roughly to the period shortly after her arrival in Gensokyo, such as oil lamps and a gramophone.  
  
The gramophone was very highly valued by both the most recent among the past incarnations of the Child of Miare and the current one. Other than that, the room didn't change even once within the last five hundred years or so.  
  
The same furniture, the same hanging scrolls, the same well preserved manuscripts, both ones collected from lands near and far and these written by the owner of the mansion. Supposedly no other person had a bigger collection of pristine tengu literature from their classical print era, before the advent of their current cultural values.  
  
Even the cat seemed the same. Legend had it the Child of Miare was entitled to having an emotional support animal reincarnate with her each time as part of her contract with the yamas. Nobody was able to verify it for certain, but it was an oddly persistent rumor that a small stray one would manifest somewhere on the premises each time the reincarnation occurred.  
  
The latest major changes were only considered necessary due to Hieda no Ayo's untimely demise leaving the room in disarray. Tragically, not many youkai of old understood that the existence of the Gensokyo Chronicle is crucial for their survival in the long run. They did not fully grasp the idea of written word becoming history and thus guaranteeing people will continue to fear them. Naturally, such behavior was punished swiftly and mercilessly by these who did.  
  
“Seeing you here so shortly after we last meet is uncommon lately. What do I owe this rare honor to?”, Akyuu mumbled, without looking up from the manuscript she was revising. Her cat reacted much more enthusiastically, rubbing itself against Keine's legs. “You don't even come ask for the chronicles directly anymore now that Suzunaan distributes them.”  
  
“I know. And I understand why that might annoy you, given what occurred in the past. But perhaps I'll explain the problem at hand first, before we'll delve into your grievances...?”  
  
“This isn't really what I expected to see after reincarnating yet again,” Akyuu continued, ignoring the request. Despite Keine's best efforts, their eyes met. Regardless of her diminutive height, or perhaps only thanks to it, Akyuu's glare was capable of conveying emotions with the intensity of a thousand lectures. It was a glare capable of getting gods to feel like their actions were inappropriate under the right conditions, so obviously it worked reasonably well on self-proclaimed public servants.  
  
“I am fully aware that I owe much to you and the Hieda clan as a whole,” Keine agreed, caving in to the pressure. “And I do know that on some level the request I am about to make might be seen as an egregious abuse of your trust,” she continued, attempting to nonetheless carefully evaluate her chances of turning the situation around.  
  
“Since I can already tell it's not something ordinary, that was bit of an understatement, don't you think? You wouldn't even be here if I didn't agree to take you in. And it was pretty hard to pull off, the barrier was brand new back then and a hakutaku is a big deal. Most of the youkai figureheads wanted your head on a platter when they learned about it.”  
  
“I do remember this. Or at least, I remember you talking about it, my contacts with youkai used to be infrequent back then, at least without you around,” alleged traitor to all of youkaikind noted. She never really saw it this way, in her mind she was always simply a human, and any of her knowledge about what the average youkai actually thought about her was still limited.  
  
“Naturally I derive no satisfaction from reminding you of this, but to most youkai this name is essentially synonymous with a turncoat.” The lesson in youkai politics was accompanied by a smile which didn't exactly made the preface seem believable. “In a way this makes more sense than the literal meaning, I mean, what's the deal with being called the beast of white marsh? Your ilk always shows up on mountains in legends and not on any marshes. Especially not white ones, whatever that wouldn't mean. Now that I think of it, maybe that's why some tried to rebrand as a weird baku subspecies back in the day, also...?”  
  
“I was unable to track down the etymology despite my in depth research, so maybe you're onto something here. A loanword from one of the forgotten languages of the imaginary would definitely make sense.”  
  
“That must've been really in depth research indeed seeing how you ended up,” Akyuu scoffed unceremoniously.  
  
“Well, perhaps it's true there was no need to go quite as deep as I did back then,” Keine nodded, hoping her expression was solemn enough to guarantee that they won't end up dwelling on this clearly irrelevant topic anymore. “I suppose I simply lacked the means to evaluate the risks properly back then.”  
  
“Agreeing to become a mythical entity at a time when the dominant philosophy was seeking a way to eliminate belief in the supernatural wasn't particularly smart. Remind me again why did you do that? Not even my memory is perfect,” pondered Akyuu, conspicuously stroking her chin.  
  
“Did I never tell you before?”  
  
“Nope. Perhaps I'm not worthy? Perhaps discussing it with me would not bring quite the thrill sharing secrets with a certain somebody does, huh? Must be really exciting in there, by the way, you spent every free day you have in that damn forest lately. To think your greatest benefactor would have to book you almost a month in advance for a single day!”  
  
It technically was true that Keine spent majority of her free days there. But it's not like the Hieda manor was in need of her services every single week before she started doing that. And she was still more than keen to help when asked.  
  
“I suppose I can simply tell you that story,” she replied after taking a deep breath. There was no point in escalating this, in her perception largely one-sided, conflict.  
  
“Well, we're actually talking about the past anyway it makes sense to delve into it, no? We seldom get to talk lately, and we already started to reminisce. Might as well go all out. I'm sure it's a hilarious story. Take a seat. I actually have these, you know,” said Akyuu, pointing at one of the empty zaisu next to the table.  
  
Keine sighed. The conversation was moving further and further away from her initial goal, but perhaps this was a viable way to placate Akyuu.  
  
If nothing else, being offered a seat probably meant the meeting might get to last long enough for the topic she wanted to discuss to stand a chance of actually coming up. When the Child of Miare was in a truly sour mood, like after the recent conference, she was not keen on hearing any tales, so hopefully the tension would gradually decrease.  
  
She was uncertain what was the origin of the antagonism towards Mokou, whose presence had no impact on her decision to leave the Hieda manor and live on her own, seemingly the root cause of the bitter attitude on display. In fact, their first meeting occurred after she already opened the school and her first students were close to graduating.  
  
Mokou's generally dismissive and mocking responses to any attempts at being interviewed for one of Akyuu's books meant for a bigger audience seemed too trivial to be the cause, too. There were youkai she perceived as close allies who lied more, and who displayed much more contemptuous attitudes towards her.  
  
“As you know, before I had to move here, I was studying the history of historiography,” Keine began, after taking her place. The cat, either blissfully ignorant of its master's mood or hellbent on going against it, laid right next to her, purring softly. Small animals generally seemed to enjoy her presence.  
  
“I do. You used to show me that purported opus magnum of yours every few weeks back then. And it's still not done yet, if I'm not mistaken.”  
  
Of course it wasn't. Keine firmly believed there was no point in rushing it, especially now that she was part of the described topic herself in a much more personal way than ever expected. And there were many other duties to take care of. Not everyone was able to call writing historical works their only purpose in life, unlike certain other people at the table.  
  
“It's also known to you already that one of the chapters deals with the mythical and legendary entities which came to be associated with it,” she pressed forward, deciding to push unpleasant thoughts away.  
  
Just because Akyuu wanted to act hostile didn't mean she had to do the same. Best to think of her as a teenager in a difficult rebellious phase, even though she was born for the first time over a thousand years ago.  
  
Even though when they first met, back when the Child of Miare was still known as Aya rather than Akyuu, she was the older one between them two.  
  
“Enma's secretaries, Matara-jin, the toukotsu, a certain mysterious scribe only known as Hieda no Are, and, naturally, the hakutaku,” she recited.  
  
“Don't put me in the same category as some dilettantes and an ungodly menagerie. I'm a serious scholar,” the eighth reincarnation of the aforementioned scribe bridled, nonchalantly pointing at once of the shelves behind her, where all chronicles she wrote herself were stored.  
  
“In the outside world you're a side note in Kojiki commentaries, I'm afraid, and my recent finds indicate nothing changed regarding the consensus on that since I was a student myself. That's not too far away from being a mythical creature,” Keine explained, smirking just a tiny bit too smugly for someone who wanted to avoid conflict.  
  
“That's what I get for doing all the hard work? Finish this digression, I'm not in the mood for it,” Akyuu groaned. “Move on to the next step in your story.”  
  
“Well, seeing what time it was, after becoming the first woman in my village to graduate from an university, I opted to follow a similar path to other experts at the forefront of history and folklore research at the time – you know, Yaniagata, Minakata and so on - and gather materials for my further research firsthand.”  
  
“For the first time today I must congratulate you, that's the best way,” Akyuu nodded approvingly. She halted herself before repeating any other old praise for Keine – maintaining a degree of aloof hostility was a must, in fact it was the best way to show she cared about her protegée.  
  
“Thank you. I won't bore you with stories about my journey to Mt. Hiei and the many, many guises of Matara-jin and will get straight to the point, don't worry.”  
  
“I hate that one. Claims to be a big shot in hell, and yet I never saw anyone like that at work,” Akyuu scoffed. She did not feel a particularly strong sense of duty when it came to her job in the afterlife, but it didn't mean she was keen on accepting a similar attitude in others.  
  
“For what it's worth, I indeed didn't find much information relevant to this deity's supposed status as Enma's record keeper beyond the title itself. That aside, after concluding that hakutaku legends are generally found in the south of the country, often close to the sea, I set on a quest to prove they were related to the presence of Chinese sailors, and perhaps historical records kept by them. I wasn't able to find decisive proof, but I did find a temple dedicated to the auspicious beast.”  
  
For better or worse, it was uncommon to get an opportunity to share her findings with someone capable of appreciating them, so even if the circumstances weren't the best, genuine enthusiasm had to shine through to a degree.  
  
“A temple, you say?”  
  
“Yes. You know, that kind which is hard to decisively pinpoint the origin of. It was overgrown, and locals seemingly didn't visit it much, but the priest was nice and despite his advanced age was surprisingly up to date with historical theories. He showed great interest in my research and provided me with a lot of valuable information. Thus the offer to partake in an unique festival, held only on the full moon once a year, which he claimed was brought long ago from the continent and wasn't held anywhere else anymore, didn't seem suspicious to me.”  
  
“Do you have no sense of self preservation? You can learn from any horror story that it's a red flag,” mumbled Akyuu, a noted enthusiast of various relevant literary genres. She decided to avoid mentioning a dozen or so situations where she followed similar offers herself in her many past lives. Only one ended in grievous bodily harm so it wasn't too big of a deal.  
  
“I just assumed it's a peculiar undocumented local custom, all he said was that the participants take the guise of the hakutaku. The notion it was brought over from the continent validated my theory, so I was excited to find out more. And I was genuinely happy someone... wants to listen to me,” Keine admitted. “While obscure, hakutaku temples did seem to exist, after all, and there's a theory the oldest surviving depiction served religious purposes, so it didn't seem any more risky than any other uncommon local festivity. I promised to not delve into Matara-jin myths, but it reminded me of the ushimatsuri a bit, you know? That involved taking the role of the deity symbolically too.”  
  
“But it wasn't just silly masks and folk dances, as I assume?”  
  
“Well, it did involve that, to be fair. However, after the ritual was completed, the priest vanished, and I could remember many things I had no clue occurred before. And, as I soon realized, I was no longer fully a part of the world surrounding me.”

“So, let's recap: you became a hakutaku after researching a sketchy festival with an elderly priest?”  
  
“Indeed, that’s how you could put it succinctly,” Keine admitted, bowing her head solemnly. While she felt this was an unjust simplification, it did accurately sum up the core of the tale.  
  
“Well, that was exceptionally dumb, just as I expected,” Akyuu sighed, preparing a fresh scroll. “It was a pretty good story, though, I noted the interesting bits for future use. Got any theory where the old man went?”  
  
“My theory is that the hakutaku is expected to vanish from history after finding a new candidate,” Keine explained, already accepting that her confidential confession will join the trivia section of the next edition of Gensokyo Chronicle.  
  
It was only a minor sacrifice, one she was definitely able to bear with. And perhaps it could also become a chance to raise interest in her own planned publications...  
  
“Also, based on what he said, and what he implanted in my memory, he never left that place due to lack of suitable rulers to advise,” she added. “Seems counterproductive to me, the ability to create history can be utilized in many better ways than advising rulers matching some arbitrary criteria. Also, when you think about it, isn't the society as a whole the real ruler?”  
  
“I'm a fan of more traditional structures of power,” Akyuu stated diplomatically. “Never understood your weird obsession with giving every person the means to rule.”  
  
“Perhaps one day you'll understand,” Keine sighed. “You know the rest of the story. Following the materials gathered earlier, I tracked down a strange legend about Hieda no Are reincarnating in a remote mountainous area. I can't explain why I was drawn to it, but it felt natural to come here. And that's how we first met.”  
  
“That's just the barrier. That's how Yukari made it,” Akyuu explained. “No need to thank me for that.”  
  
There were some people whose achievements should be credited whenever possible, in case their fickle attention will turn towards a different direction than the Hieda manor.  
  
“I still feel like I owe a lot to you. You offered me the greatest gift of them all, Akyuu. The chance to define my fate myself. You showed me I can use my gift for means different than advising a ruler who will never come, it's only thanks to you that I was able to create the school,” Keine finished with a broad smile.  
  
She was pretty sure she found a way to turn Akyuu's earlier accusations around, so that they'd act in her favor instead.  
  
“You were only meant to use that gift within the boundaries of reason,” Akyuu groaned. Her rhetoric wasn't meant to be applied this way. It was effectively turned around her with no means of turning it around in her favour yet again.  
  
“Now that we reestablished this, here's where my request comes in,” Keine cut her off before the discussion could've been diverted once more. “I would like to ask you to act as a guide to hell for me and Mokou.”  
  
Akyuu squinted her eyes a few times, looked around the room, and finally spent a few minutes starring at Keine in uncomfortable silence.  
  
“You're joking, right? There's some moderately funny punchline there that you just don't quite know how to phrase?”  
  
“There isn't. I can prostrate myself to highlight that I'm serious, I suppose, but I'd prefer to avoid that.”  
  
“Do you know how short my life is?”  
  
“About thirty years, I am aware,” Keine recited mechanically. She was unable to tell what was genuine despair and what a morbid joke when it came to her mentor's stances on own age and life.  
  
“And what do I do when I'm not among the living?”  
  
“Well, you never went into detail, but you do work in hell, right? That makes you the most suitable person to ask for help.”  
  
“That's right, I work there. In a soul-crushing, tiresome, pointless job. And you basically want me to go to work on what's like a holiday!”  
  
“I only want to pay back the debt I owe to you. It's only natural to give someone the same thing which let you turn your own life around, isn't it? That's the principle terakoya taught me. Let me give Mokou the gift you gave me,” Keine pleaded. “Your conference allowed me to find a way to help her, you're the one who can be credited, regardless of the latter research I did myself. I want you to guide us to the mysterious entity who purportedly can remove her curse because I trust you the most and because no one else did as much for me as you did.”  
  
“You want to chase mirages yet again.” Akyuu crossed her arms.  
  
“Chasing mirages let me meet you. And don't tell me you don't see the appeal yourself, even if our motivation differs. Don't you want to be able to verify the materials we gathered about that being firsthand?”  
  
“If you put it like this, it almost makes me want to consider doing it. Almost,” Akyuu sighed. “But think of it again. You want me to waste my precious, short life so that I can help you with something that annoys me to no end? Because it was not enough that after spending nearly a century handling the books in hell – and trust me, they're horrible with the paperwork down there – I had to hear my best friend and only protegée is gone, rejected the life I crafted for her carefully, and hangs out with some Fujiwara kid between teaching the absolute basics to children of the... nouveau riche?”  
  
Before Keine could point out Akyuu seems very selective about her derogatory treatment of the upstart social classes, given the amount of time she allegedly spends at the store ran by the Motoori family, a servant rushed into the room, temporarily halting the argument.  
  
“Lady Akyuu, I'm terribly sorry to intrude, but you have another visitor,” she exclaimed.  
  
“Tell them to wait, I'm busy here,” Akyuu groaned. Her dramatic speech, carefully planned while she was listening to Keine's story, shouldn't be interrupted like that.  
  
“I came to speak with Miss Kamishirasawa.” the guest stated coldly, pushing the woman who announced her arrival aside.  
  
The cat, seemingly asleep until that moment, awoke from its slumber, hissed and ran out of the room.  
  
The visitor's face and checkered attire were known to all. Her true nature - not necessarily. However, as it was the job of a historian to be aware of such matters, the majority of the people in the room had at least a vague idea who she was.  
  
The pharmacist known as Eirin Yagokoro held many secrets, among them her origin as a high ranking celestial sage, one of the architects of the lunar society.  
  
The publicly available condensed editions of the Gensokyo Chronicle did not reveal it, of course. The duty of the Child of Miare was to inform, but also to guarantee the continuous survival of the realm, and that means some information can't just be dumped irresponsibly. Especially information considered confidential in every otherworld imaginable.  
  
“How did you even know she'll be here?”  
  
“Many of the villagers owe a great deal to Eientei. It's an easy bargaining chip to bring it up. Also, Udonge is bad at keeping secrets, and had an awful lot of money on her lately.”  
  
Keine scolded herself in her thoughts. She could've just erased some of the meetings from history right after they were finished, but the recent wave of excitement made her unable to think ahead like that. Plus, erasing history just because it was convenient for her felt wrong.  
  
“I may or may not have made some mistakes when it comes to secrecy,” she admitted, slowly standing up.  
  
“I would like to attempt to convince Miss Kamishirasawa to abandon her unreasonable plan to pursue certain nebulous figures within certain backwater outer realms,” Eirin exclaimed. In theory, the tone of her voice could pass as polite. Specifically, it was as if her voice alone was presenting an ultimatum: admit that it was polite or meet a horrible fate. Under certain broad definitions that did count.  
  
“Did you hear that, _Miss_ _Kamishirasa_?”, asked Akyuu, mockingly parroting the visitor.  
  
“I'm afraid I did,” replied Keine. “You don't have to emphasize 'miss' more than she did, you know.”  
  
“It's in out mutual best interest to make sure no irresponsible actions are taken, and no third parties interfere in the affairs related to the Hourai Elixir,” Eirin continued, ignoring the bickering. “After all, it'd be horrible if any intel was handed over to ancient enemies of the Moon. The risk presented by such a situation would warrant the interference of individuals much less reasonable and benevolent than me, I hope that is clear.”  
  
“I owe no loyalty to the moon, but I do owe it to people close to me, among them Mokou. It's difficult for me to abandon what seems like the only hope of giving her a normal life.”  
  
“I don't care about that. She's an insolent thief and should count herself lucky that the Moon didn't interfere with her life yet. My message is simple. Abandon your goal and live as you did before. It's a generous offer, and a sign that I'm keen on adhering to the norms the people of this realm generally follow.”  
  
While Eirin presented her ultimatum, Akyuu's face went through a variety of unexpectedly bright colours, starkly contrasting with her pale complexion.  
  
“Listen well,” she said through gritted teeth, without leaving her table. “There's only one person in this room who can make demands like that, and it's not you. Do you seriously think you can threaten valued guests in my house after arriving without an invitation yourself?”  
  
“Didn't you say you'll, pardon if I got it wrong, at the absolute best maybe consider my request”, asked Keine, surprised by another sudden change of mood.  
  
“Maybe I did. But I changed my mind,” hissed Akyuu. “Get your luggage ready, we can leave even tomorrow if you want.”  
  
“As I take it, my kind offer was rejected?”  
  
“Rejected, dismissed, renounced, vetoed, yes.” The tone changed abruptly yet again. The words flowed extremely calmly – and yet there was more hostility in each of them than in any of the outbursts. “Get out of my house.”  
  
“Very well. I do not take responsibility for what will happen next,” Eirin said, crossing her arms. “I gave you a fair warning, which was ignored, so my conscience won't be burdened in any capacity. I no longer hold any official positions on the Moon, and the actions of its officials are out of my jurisdiction.”  
  
“I saw how it looks like when Lunarians take responsibility, if anything I'm quite glad you won't be doing that here. Yukari told me a lot, and on top of that I wasn't born yesterday, you know.”  
  
Eirin turned around, ignoring Akyuu's provocation. She left the mansion just as quietly as she arrived.  
  
“Well, you won, Keine. There's no turning back for us,” Akyuu exclaimed slowly after deciding Eirin was far away that the odds of her coming back were too low to consider “Not after this. It felt like the good old days, you know? Like that one time when Tenma demanded the tengu manuscripts from me.”  
  
“Thank you,” she mumbled quietly in response after a longer while. “I'm sorry if you were hurt by my recent actions, but I hope you understand my motivation now, if you decided to help me after all.”  
  
“Indeed, you can think of it this way,” Akyuu admitted with embarrassment. The tables have turned, and even though Keine didn't notice it, it was her glare that was being avoided now.  
  
“I'd like to know one thing, though. What was it between you and... the people of the Moon? You never mentioned it before.”  
  
“I'm sorry I got mad about not knowing everything about your past. We only had two years back then so it's understandable there was no time,” Akyuu apologized quickly. Delving this into this topic so shortly after a high ranking Lunarian lingered in the same building for more than a few milliseconds suddenly started feeling like tempting fate to her. “The gist of it is that I unknowingly did something on the behalf of Lunarians once, and to put it lightly the payoff was awful.”  
  
“What was it, though?” Keine didn't grasp the attempt at imitating a panicked tone and continued seeking forbidden knowledge almost as diligently as Akyuu did earlier herself.  
  
“I can't tell you myself. You'll learn about it soon so there's no point in trying to question me more. I need to calm down,” she whispered, reaching for a fan laying on the other side of the table. “Go home, pack up your stuff, make sure my _favourite_ denizen of Gensokyo is ready. We're leaving in two days.”  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I extrapolated a lot from Keine's PMiSS bio, in which Akyuu describes her as someone close to her family, but simultaneously talks about Keine's efforts rather dismissively. 
> 
> I will delve deeper into why things are somewhat sour between them now in future chapters, as well as into sources of Akyuu's hostility towards Mokou (something which has roots outside Touhou), stay tuned.


End file.
